Apparatus for handling grape-juice and other fluids.



F. J. WALKER, JR. APPARATUS FOR HANDLING .GRAPE JUICE AND OTHER FLUIDS.

APPLICATION FILED 1\IAP..9,1912.

Patented Dec. 31 1912.

' ulna) APPARATUS FOR HANDLING GRAPE-JUICE AND OTHER FLUIDS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 31,

Application filed March 9, 1912. Serial No. 382,740.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known,that I, FRANK J. TVALKER,

Jr.. a citizen of the United States, residing and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to apparatus for use in the manufacture of unfermented grapejuice, but may be. used in the handling of other liquids in which such an apparatus may prove useful.

in the m.=inuit'actiu.'e ot' untern'iented gram juicc it is customary after the juice has been pressed out of the fruit. to heat the same to substzmtially the boiling point and then to put it into glass car-boysor earthen ware jugs and scaled up while hot, and these jugs thus tilled with grape-juice are stacked up in layers with boards between the course and thus stored for two or three month. and in some instances long r, during which period the solids in the juice tie to the bottom of the vessels forming on the bottoms therco'l" a thick layer composed i l a larg percentage of crcam-tarter crysl;ll. in removing the liquid from these carboys or jugs. it is desirable that they be not disturbed until alter the liquid is drawn trom them. and the object of my invention is to -on.-truct an apparatus by iii-cans oi which the liquid may be drawn out oi the layer at'tcr layer. without moving the it g from its position until utter the same has been emptied oi' the clear liquid.

in -:-arr \iu g out my inventi n .1 provide a re eiving tank with suitable air apparatus connected therewith and a tube leading theretrom through intermediate page and shut-ott' mechanism and straining devices adapted to be inserted into the mouth iii a 1H2.

The features of my invention are hereina t'ter more fully set forth and described and illustrated in the aecon'ipanying drawings in which:

Figure '1, is aside view in elevation of the reeeivinpgtank and suction appaatus exhausting with portions thereof broken away. 2, is a side view in elevation of the gage and shut-oil mechanism, and suction nozzle inserted into a jug. Fig. 3, is.a plan view of the same, with portions thereof broken away. Fig. 4, is a view in elevation, and partly in section of the suction nozzle, preferably used with my apparatus.

In these drawings A, indicates a. receiving-tank provided with an air-tight cover A, and from the bottom of this tank a discharge-pipe A provided with a shutoff valve A leads to any point.- desired, thatmay be most convenient in the further treatment of grape juice. Connected with an opening a, in the cover A, is a tube l3, leading to a suction apparatus B, preterably ot the water-jet type as shown in Fig. 1. and from this suction apparatus a tube B leads to a point adjacent to a drain B in the cellar tloor for the conducting away of the water from the suction apparatus B. i

Within the tank A, embracing the inner-end oi the opening a, in the cover A, thereof, I provide a shut-ofi' ivalve C, composed of a cylindrical cage containing afloat-ball. C, adapted to float on the liquid as it nears the top of the tank, until the said float closes the mouth of the opening a. thereby shutting oil the air from the suction apparatus B, for the purpose of stopping the opera tion of thi apparatus when the tank A, becomes filled with liquid. Connected with another opening a, is a tube D. leading therefrom downward nearly to the bottom of the tank A, which tube D. is provided with one or more small openings (7. near the upper end thereof to perm t of the drawing from the tube ll. llltil'Qtlll'OlltZli, any air which may enter the tube l). during the operation of the apparatus. for the purpose of eliminating foam 'rom the upper surface of liquid in the tank A. From the upper end oi the opening a, in the cover A. a tube l leads to a section of hose E.

This hose E, is eonnccteiil to a hader F,

which may be of any length desired and is v prcterabl'v mounted and supported upon a portable table adapted to be moved over the, cellar tioor to such points as mabe desired during the operation of the apparatus.

i Connected with this header F, by means of suitable packing devices 7, are glass tubes G, of such number as may be desired. and to the opposite ends of the tubes G, I connect shut-oil valves H, byineans of suitable I i shut-off valve the receiving tank A, until the suction nozzlepacked joints f. From each of the shut-off valves H, small sections of hose J, lead to jugs or car-boys K. The sections oiglbose J. are connected to the valves H, by I cans of suitable connections 7'.

Each section of hose J, is provided With a suction nozzle L, (see Fig. 44-) which I preferably make of a section of tube M, mounted upon the end of a short tube L, by means of a telescopic or slip-joint so that the tube M, may be readily removed from the tube L, when desired, and upon the tube M, a slidable ring m, is placed to serve as a gage to prevent the tube M, from entering entirely to the bottom of the jug. Within the tube M, I secure a conical screen M,

for the purpose of preventing the sediment in the bottom of the jug from being drawn intothc hose J. In practice, I have preferably a supply of several extra tubes M, con- 'vcnient, and when the screen M, becomes foul, the tube M,is removed from the tube L, for the purpose of cleaning the screen M, and another tube M, having a clean screen therein can be immediately placed on the tube L, without loss of time. Upon the table F, underneath the glass tubes G, I fix an electric light N, by means of which the passage of liquid through the glass tubes G, can be observed, so that When the liquid in any one of the car-boys or jugs K, reaches the lower end of the suction nozzle L, and air enters therefrom through the hose J, into a glass tube G, the operator can see the air-bubbles in the glass tube G, and can thereil pon turn the corresponding to prevent air passing into L, is transferred to a full jug K.

I s obvious from the drawingsand the foretgoing description that by means of the flexible hose Ei, the table F, may be moved over the cellar floor to such points as may be most convenient to the jugs that are desired to be emptied, and that by means of the individual sections of hose 7', eachindividual jug may be emptied Without moving the same from its position, and thereby dis turbing the sediment in the bottom of the same.

Prior to my invention, it was common practice in grape-juice cellars, to place the full car-boy or jug containing juice to be removed, upon an elevated support, and then insert thereinto a piece of rubber hose, and by drawing thereon by means of the breath of the operative,-starting the siphon into operation, and it is common knowledge among those in the grape-juice business, that cellar-men engaged therein become very careless. With the use of my apparatus, this practice of cellar-men is entirely eliminated.

Having thus fully described my invention and the operation thereof, so as to enable others to construct and utilize the same, What I desire to secure by Letters-Patent is:

1. In an apparatus of the character-d scribed, a fluid receiving tank, means to exhaust air therefrom, a fluid supply pipe leading into said tank having its terminus near the bottom thereof, a flexible tube secured to the outer end thereof and leading,

'to a tubular cross-head, transparent tubes secured to said cross-head, shut off valves secured on the outer ends of said transparent tubes, a portable table adapted to support said crosshead' and transparent tubes, and flexible'tubes connected to said valves, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In an 'apparatus of the character described, a fluid receiving tank, means to exhaust air therefrom, an automatic valve therein adapted to be operated by the fluid level'in said tank to stop the flow of air from said tank, a fluid supply pip ieading into said tank, and a valve insaid supplypipe, substantially as set forth.

. In testimony whereof I aflix my signature, in :presence of two Witnesses.

' FRANK J. WALKER, JR. Witnesses:

H. M. STURGEON, E. E, MYERS. 

